Videoconference series highlights First Nation women, Community Networks and Native Language
The last week in January promises to be a busy time as three video conferences are being hosted from the northern First Nations of Keewaywin and Muskrat Dam. All three workshops will be webstreamed for everyone to see online and will be archived for future reference.
The first videoconference, First Nations Women in Leadership, on Monday, January 28 starting at 9 am is an all day event celebrates the important role that First Nation women play in all aspects of the families and the communities. The workshop is a collaborative effort between all the participants, the presentors, the team at Keewaytinook Okimakanak (lead by Tina Kakapetum-Schultz, Naomi Barker and Penny Carpenter) and the Videocom Research Initiative.
The second videoconference, First Nation Community Broadband Networks is being held on Tuesday, January 29 starting at 9:30 am to 12:00 pm. Keewaywin First Nation, in partnership with Keewaytinook Okimakanak and Community Wireless Infrastructure Research Project (CWIRP) is hosting a workshop discussing First Nation Community Networks. The workshop celebrates the growth of these locally-owned enterprises and shares the experiences of different First Nation local community network managers. First Nation technicians and managers will share their journeys, strengths and future plans. If you would like share a story of how your community uses the network and/or video conferencing and meet others who are working to make their community network better, join us January 29, 2008!
The third videoconference, Anihshininiimowin: Our Language Of The Past, Now And Tomorrow is being held on Thursday, January 31 starting at 1 pm and is scheduled for 1.5 hours. The workshop celebrates the use of the Native Language in the classroom as supported by the Kwayaciiwin Educational Resource Centre. The workshop is a collaborative effort between all the participants, the presentors, the team at Keewaytinook Okimakanak (lead by Angie Morris, Youth Employment Coordinator), the Kwayaciiwin Educational Resource Centre and the Videocom Research Initiative.
Videocom researchers are traveling to Keewaywin and Muskrat Dam to participate in these workshops. They hope to talk with the workshop participants to identify strategies for supporting effective videoconferencing experiences.
Susan O'Donnell is lead researcher with the SSHRC funded Videocom Research project. She works at the National Research Council centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick. She is also an adjunct professor at the University of New Brunswick. Susan arrived in Sioux Lookout on Wednesday, January 23 and will be leaving from Sioux Lookout on Saturday, February 2.
Sonja Perley is a graduate student at the University of New Brunswick and works with Susan at the NRC with the Videocom project. She arrived in Sioux Lookout on Friday, January 25, traveled to Keewaywin and will return home on Tuesday, January 29.
Fenwick Mckelvey is a graduate student at Ryerson University in Toronto who worked with Susan at the NRC during this past summer. He is arriving in Sioux Lookout on Tuesday, January 29, travelling with Susan and Cal to Muskrat Dam on January 30 and returning to Sioux Lookout on Friday, February 1. He and Susan will leave Sioux Lookout on Saturday, February 2 to return to their respective homes.
Cal Kenny, K-Net's Multi-media Coordinator is travelling to Keewaywin and Muskrat Dam for these events to videotape and produce three videos that will be posted online about each of these events.